Historic church in Lafayette set to reopen on Saturday

LAFAYETTE -- After being closed for at least the past 15 years, the Lafayette Baptist Church on Route 15 will be reopened to the public starting with its first annual Homecoming Day Saturday at 4 p.m.

The free service will last for about an hour, said Barbara Bolen, chairman of the Friends of the Lafayette Baptist Church, which now owns and maintains the building. As part of the event, the interim minister of the Newton Baptist Church, Harry Fletcher, will present a history of the Baptists and give a brief message of thanks.

Bolen said her organization filed a charter to own the historic church in October 2015, but did not finalize the paperwork to officially become the owners until this past April. During the almost two-year period, the Friends of the Lafayette Baptist Church, along with the sheriff's department and other groups, have been fundraising and working on renovations to the building.

The roof was fixed last year, and the steeple and shingles are scheduled to be repaired next week. At this point, Bolen said, "We've finally gotten to the point where we can actually have a service."

Now that the building is open again, Bolen said it will be available by appointment for weddings, services and various meetings from May through October. Because it has no heating system, she said it would not be ideal to keep the building open in the winter months.

Built in 1829, the church predates Lafayette itself; according to Bolen. It was the first Baptist church in Newton before the town split and a portion was renamed Lafayette.

Augusta Hill Baptist Church in Frankford was the area's original Baptist church, but others soon followed as Sussex County's population grew, Bolen said. In addition, the lack of modern vehicles presented issues for members traveling for services.

"From Lafayette, that was a pretty good hike back in the day by horse and buggy," Bolen said. She noted that many families in the township would leave their homes early in the morning to attend church and would not get back until late at night, prompting the creation of other churches in the area.

For more information about the church, visit the Friends of the Lafayette Baptist Church Facebook page or contact Bolen at 540-270-4502 or barbara@latavolabella.com.

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